Week 41 of 52: Self-Reliant Skills

Thank you for visiting Ready Nutrition and the 52 Weeks to Preparedness Free Web Series. Because of the popularity of the series and the tons of great feedback we have received over the years, we took your advice and turned it into a full-fledged book.

The original web series is still available for free and can be accessed via the chapter menu in the right sidebar (and by scrolling down this page), but if you're looking for the most updated version of this information and prefer to read it in the form of a physical book, then click here to order your copy today.

With the assistance of Daisy Luther, editor of The Organic Prepper, we set out to add even more information to the original web series, organize and transform it into a book that encompassed all forms of disasters – both big and small. With all of the additional information added, the title even changed toThe Prepper’s Blueprint to help readers understand that preparedness isn’t just about having a plan, it requires drawing out a blueprint to set a preparedness foundation you can build upon and rely on when the time comes.

(If you entered this page looking for a particular chapter in the free 52 Weeks to Preparedness web series, please scroll down to access this information)

About the Prepper's Blueprint

Across the ages, in every survival story, a disaster of some sort plays a prominent role. Sometimes the part is played by the government, sometimes it is played by Mother Nature, and other times, the role is taken on by a random mishap. If we have learned one thing studying the history of disasters, it is this: those who are prepared have a better chance at survival than those who are not.

A crisis rarely stops with a triggering event. The aftermath can spiral, having the capacity to cripple our normal ways of life. Because of this, it's important to have a well-rounded approach to our preparedness efforts. Due to the overwhelming nature of preparedness, we have created the Prepper's Blueprint to help get you and your family ready for life's unexpected emergencies. To make a more comprehensive, easy-to-follow program, The Prepper's Blueprint has been simplified and divided up in a way to help you make sense of all the preparedness concepts and supply lists provided. We have divided the chapters into layers of preparedness.

Layer 1: Chapters 1-14, prepares you for those everyday disasters that have shorter-term effects: power outages, storms, injuries, and evacuations

Layer 2: Chapters 15-31 help you to get ready for disasters that turn out to be much longer-lasting: economic collapse, long term power outages, and pandemics, to name a few

Layer 3: Chapters 32-56 prepares you for the long haul and a complete change of lifestyle, the end of the world as we know it: providing food and water once supplies run out, security, retreat properties, and long-term plans

The goal of The Prepper's Blueprint is to help you find freedom through self-reliance, and ultimately, to get you and your family to a point where you can not only survive, but thrive, in a world that may be permanently altered.

The following chapter is part of the free 52 Weeks to Preparedness web series

Week 41 of 52: Self-Reliant Skills

I have often emphasized how important it is to understand that preparedness isn’t about how many items you have stored away – it’s really about learning the skills necessary to survive. Ultimately, we want to be self-reliant and able to maintain a healthy lifestyle. In order to adapt and transition more fluidly into self-reliant living, our efforts must lie in our learned skills, abilities and knowledge.

I realize the time constraints of our daily schedules can put a dent in our availability; but it is vital that you find the time to learn. When making the decision on what skills you should learn, think sustainability.

This is a basic list of skills you should learn in order to survive in a longer-term disaster.

1. Medical Training

Medical training should be a priority for those preparing for extended emergencies. Due to the increased use of sharp tools (and weapons for that matter), there will be more medical emergencies involving deep lacerated cuts and infections from open wounds. Additionally, there will be an increase in burns from being in closer contact to fires. These injuries can become infected very quickly, and knowing how to treat them will keep your family healthy.

There are online courses offered for basic CPR/First Aid, however, learning some advanced medical skills will give you more of the fundamental training needed to thrive during a long-term emergency. Find an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) class that is offered for paramedics to better equip you to handle emergency medical situations.

Further, invest in medical handbooks such as The Doom and Bloom Survival Medical Handbook by Joseph Alton, M.D. and Amy Alton, A.R.N.P. or When There Is No Doctor by Gerard S. Boyle, M.D. Both resources are will help you learn what needs to be done in an emergency medical situation. Practice these techniques now in order to perform better under pressure.

2. Disaster Training

Learning how to plan and prepare for a disaster, as well as understanding how your community plans to respond to emergencies (and the after effects of a disaster), will help us adapt to the situation more quickly in such an event. Disaster training is typically offered by FEMA, the American Red Cross and other disaster organizations. The American Red Cross offers extensive courses in disaster safety and training, as well as basic First Aid/CPR courses. Thanks to the Information Age, information is at the click of a mouse. Online disaster courses are now offered through a variety of websites.

3. Gardening Skills

It’s time to get your hands dirty and get back in touch with nature. In a long term survival situation, seeds will mean the difference between life and death. When a disaster occurs, start some sprouting seeds to ensure that you have a natural source of vitamins and nutrients until your seeds bear their fruits.

Learn necessary gardening skills such as companion plants, crop rotations, beneficial insects, natural ways to replenish soil with compost and earthworms, and which gardening tools will be beneficial in an extended emergency.

4. Medicinal Plants

Another relevant knowledge source is understanding the medicinal value of plants and herbs. It is amazing how many uses there are for plants besides spicing up our entrees. Researching natural medicines is another major need in a survival situation, especially if a person in your group has a pre-existing condition.

There are dozens of firearm courses offered through the National Rifle Association as well as at self defense businesses and at some local colleges. This skill is easily lost if you do not practice regularly. Also, practicing gun safety, especially around children will help them learn how important it is to be mindful around weapons.

6. Canning and Food Preparation

As Carla Emery, a homesteading author once said of our pioneer ancestors, “If people’s labors were fruitful, they put away a long-term food supply as a matter of common sense; their food was wholesome, hearty, and healthy.” Knowing how to can and preserve foods to eat during the long winter months is essential.

Canning and food preservation measures will be extremely useful in a longer-term disaster. Having food preservation tools such as jars, lids, pressure cookers, and supplies to preserve foods can help you keep your harvest edible for a year or more! Check www.craigslist.com, garage sales and even at second hand stores for these essential items. Canning jars would also make an excellent bartering item.

Further, having knowledge on how long foods last will help you preserve foods when they are at their best. This convenient food storage chart is a great tool to have in your kitchen to ensure your pantry foods are within expiration.

7. Amateur Radio Classes

Each of us have read enough survival books to know that the “comm down” scenario is a very real threat, and happens more often than not. Experts from the private and public sector warn that we are just one major catastrophic event away from an incident that could take down the grid. The best way to prepare for this serious situation is to equip yourself with the knowledge and with the tools for emergency communication. Having a radio is encouraged by many disaster relief organizations. And having knowledge on how to work and maneuver a HAMM radio will provide a person with an emergency communication source during a time when most communication is down. The National Association of Amateur Radio provides information based on a person’s location and course information on their website.

8. Sewing Classes

Everyone has heard stories of how their great grandmothers would sew quilts out of material harvested from worn-out clothing. Not many of us have this skill anymore. Typically fabric stores offer sewing classes and sewing events for their customers. Sewing classes will not only teach a necessary skill, but it will also help you get the survival mindset in place. Instead of buying something, make something new out of what you have available. For instance, rather than throwing away torn jeans, salvage the non-worn areas and turn them into patches for clothing. Use other sections for pieces for a quilt, and make rags from what is left over.

9. Outdoor Survival Skills Courses

Learning necessary outdoor skills will provide a person with fundamental knowledge on how to better survive. The Boy Scouts offer adult classes, and you can also find relevant courses at some community colleges. Get creative and search around the internet. There are some survival courses offered online (some are even free survival courses) that a person can take from the comfort of his or her home. Look for courses on how to forage for food in the wild, essential survival skills, and wilderness medical courses. Some of these courses are offered at local colleges, the YMCA, community park and recreation facilities, etc. Additionally, finding books, and e-books on survival skills is another way to gather information on this topic and practice what you learn later.

10. Homesteading Skills

There is a range of preparations and skills that are absolutely necessary for running a successful farm or homestead. That is why our forefathers often screwed up and starved to death. If all the pieces are not there then the potential exists for failure. Now is the time to get these skills in order. Learning about livestock care, how to fix essential machines, how to use non-electric or turn of the century tools, how to render lard, and how to make soap and candles. These are all lost art forms, in my opinion and need to be learned in order to sustain your family or group for long-term scenarios. YouTube and online websites can do wonders for helping you learn the basics of these skills.

11. Hunting Skills

If you plan to hunt wild game for a food source, you will need to learn how to gut the carcass, skin the fur or remove feathers and properly cut the meat. The “hunter-in-training” will also have to have a proficient knowledge on the different types of hunting tools used to prepare animal carcasses (and these tools come in different sizes based on the animal). TheNational Hunting Association is a portal that can take a person to their local area hunting association in order to get more information for their specific area. Also, this website offers the hunting guides for all of the states within the USA.

I’d like to conclude by offering a few pieces of advice on learning new skills – practice any chance you get and give yourself time to learn it. Like any new thing you try to do, there is a learning curve involved. Give yourself time to make the necessary mistakes and learn from them. Process of elimination is usually the way we learn best. Finding others in your area who can help guide you through these new skills can be such a blessing, and can open the door to some new mentors.

Preps to Buy:

Written books on skills you want to learn

Tools or accessories needed to learn these skills

Extra printer paper to print out any information you find online

Binders for organizing your information (To help you organize this binder, click here for tips)

Action Items:

Start looking online for any online courses you can take.

Make a goal to start learning a new skill set.

Purchase written resources for your survival library.

Equip yourself with essential knowledge.

Get and stay current in any certifications.

Continue to educate yourself on skills you feel are pertinent to your survival.

Tess Pennington is the author of The Prepper’s Blueprint, a comprehensive guide that uses real-life scenarios to help you prepare for any disaster. Because a crisis rarely stops with a triggering event the aftermath can spiral, having the capacity to cripple our normal ways of life. The well-rounded, multi-layered approach outlined in the Blueprint helps you make sense of a wide array of preparedness concepts through easily digestible action items and supply lists.

Tess is also the author of the highly rated Prepper’s Cookbook, which helps you to create a plan for stocking, organizing and maintaining a proper emergency food supply and includes over 300 recipes for nutritious, delicious, life-saving meals.

Visit her web site at ReadyNutrition.com for an extensive compilation of free information on preparedness, homesteading, and healthy living.

In the end, it will be nearly impossible to have all the skills one needs in all situations. That does not mean that I, or my husband, do not think skills are important. Quite the contrary. We each have more skills than the average person and have practiced these skills since our youth.
There are challenges for those interested in obtaining skills. Skill is not a priority in our deskilled society. The person must have the drive and purpose to learn and stick with it. The person must be willing to fail before they succeed. The person must be willing to spend money on this skill. This will be either in supplies, lessons, time needed for learning, or goof ups aka the learning curve.
Skills have their limitations. We are living in an increasingly de-skilled society. Even if someone learns a “skill,” the probability that they are going to be very proficient at rather low. It takes 10,000 hrs to be a master, and to be reasonably functional with many hours less than that, but with the compressed schedules of our society only a very determined person will be able to meet the challenge. The real benefits of a skill/skill base is being able to meet the needs of ones family as well as themselves. The satisfaction of a job well done is priceless. In general, skills enable a person to solve a problem that could not otherwise have been solved easily, or save money. Skills can work into a business, and I have known quite a few who have done this, but this assumes that our economy is functional and the skill is desirable.
I must disagree with anyone who thinks that skills can be bartered. There are a few situations in which this has worked for my husband and I. The person who could use your services and does not have the funds to pay for it most likely does not have any skill to barter for it. Having never really obtained any real skill, it has no real intrinsic value to them, either. A time bank wouldn’t necessarily work either, as many skills take time and and hour for hour exchange would be difficult.
In our family, a skill base is just as important as the degree. While not everyone in our family has the same skill set, all six of our now adult children have a nice repertoire of skills. While neither my husband or I discuss this topic openly with friends or extended family, it does not go unnoticed.

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